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Watch This Emotional Reunion Between Mark Hamill and Yoda (and Puppeteer Frank Oz)

With the digital HD, Blu-ray and DVD of Star Wars: The Last Jedi all available now, glimpses of the bonus features are being released on the internet left and right. Yesterday we shared this hilarious gag reel, which includes Carrie Fisher slapping Oscar Isaac over 40 times for a pivotal scene between Leia and Poe Dameron (one wonders if writer/director Rian Johnson really needed all those takes). Now a new, rather emotional moment has been made available, showing the first timeMark Hamill was reunited with Yoda—and puppeteer Frank Oz— on the set of The Last Jedi after decades. This is a clip from the documentary The Director and the Jediwhich is a part of the bonus features of The Last Jedi‘s Blu-ray DVD release.

In the clip below, you’ll see Rian Johnson leading Mark Hamill through a staging area where puppeteering rehearsal is under way. There, Hamill is greeted by two old friends: Yoda, and the man who has been bringing him to life for 38 years since 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back, puppeteer Frank Oz. Hamill’s reaction is touching: he has an immediate emotional response to seeing his old friends.

The reunion above was in preparation for this crucial scene in The Last Jedi, when Luke’s frustrations with both Rey (Daisy Ridley) and the entire Jedi order led him to the decision to burn down the sacred Jedi texts stored in the hollowed-out trunk of a uneti tree on Ahch-To. On his way to do the deed, Yoda appears and, as always, surprises “Young Skywalker” by finishing the job that he ultimately seemed reluctant to do. The moment was a pivotal one in the movie, forcing Luke to reevaluate what his role should be in the Resistance’s fight against the First Order, and his former protegé, Ben Solo.

There are a ton more features like these on The Last Jedi digital home release, Blu-ray and DVD, which are available now.

Featured image: Star Wars: The Last Jedi..L to R: Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) on set of Skellig Island (Ach-to). Photo:Lucasfilm Ltd. ©2017 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved

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